tzoya - advocate ?’s | Autism PDD

What has your son's program been so far? He is entitled to his current IEP in the new state until a new IEP is developed. If you post the state you are moving to, I will see if the advocacy organization I belong to has any members in your state who are willing to take new clients. In my neck of the woods (Long Island) it is not usual to bring an advocate right off the bat and bringing an advocate is seen as a provacative thing. However, that is not true in every jurisdiction. It may be possible to pay for an hour or two of an advocate's time to get advice and then go to the meeting on your own. The idea is to create a cordial relationship with the players in your new school district. Adversarial relationships work far less well than cordial ones. That said, you should be fully informed of your child's rights. Frankly, many school district IEP teams are not. I know plenty of parents who know more about the law than they do and sometimes even more than their LAWYERS do.

Hi tzoya,

We are looking into hiring an advocate to help us with our son's first IEP (transitioning out of EI soon) in a new state, and I'm hoping you can give me some tips and insight. What can I / should I expect from an advocate? Is it uncommon to hire an advocate right out of the gate?

I have been given the name of 2 in the area we're moving to and left messges for them this evening. What kinds of questions should I ask to help me pick the best person for the job?

Thanks for any input!!

LittleMama39099.8104513889I would think based on what I know about EI in my state that when you get to FL, you will be involved in the IEP not the IFSP. The IFSP does not carry over from EI to preschool. I am not sure if you would still be entitled to the same services on the IFSP in a new state or not. But given the fact that you are moving during transition time anyway, I wouldn't worry about the IFSP and EI. I'd focus manily on the IEP and preschool. Here is the list of Fla. advocates and atty's from the website. Hope this helps.Sorry, but EI is definitely not my area of expertise. I don't think the same rules apply since the Fed rules are only from 3 thru 21 and each state is in charge of its own EI rules. Also, not every state has EI thru the Dept. of Ed. In fact, in NY where I live, EI is thru the Health Dept. The Governor of each state CHOOSES the arm of the state that is in charge. However, the school district where you will be moving will most likely be ablet to point you in the right direction. Sorry I can't help you more. Good luck.

[QUOTE=tzoya]What has your son's program been so far? He is entitled to his current IEP in the new state until a new IEP is developed. If you post the state you are moving to, I will see if the advocacy organization I belong to has any members in your state who are willing to take new clients. In my neck of the woods (Long Island) it is not usual to bring an advocate right off the bat and bringing an advocate is seen as a provacative thing. However, that is not true in every jurisdiction. It may be possible to pay for an hour or two of an advocate's time to get advice and then go to the meeting on your own. The idea is to create a cordial relationship with the players in your new school district. Adversarial relationships work far less well than cordial ones. That said, you should be fully informed of your child's rights. Frankly, many school district IEP teams are not. I know plenty of parents who know more about the law than they do and sometimes even more than their LAWYERS do.[/QUOTE]

Hi tzoya - I apologize for taking so long to get back to you and appreciate how quickly you responded. I've been having "technical difficulty" and didn't get notification of your response, and then forgot about it.

You mentioned that we'd be entitled to the same services until an new IEP is developed, but does this also apply to Early Intervention/ISFP? I will not hold my breath for the same EI services, as we'll be arriving exactly 3 months before his 3rd birthday, so we'll be focusing on transitioning almost immediately, and I don't suspect they'll be "together" enough (nor will I, for that matter) to pull off a quality program in such a short period of time. We're moving to FL - land of lack of ASD services and alligators.

LittleMama39108.7397916667Tzoya, you rock!!

Thank you! Unfortunately, I am not able to view a list. Will you pretty-please try to post it again when you have a moment or just post a link to the site?

Thanks again - sincerely!

BTW, what are the top 3 IEP/advocacy books you'd recommend to parents?